


The Right to Ask

by tysmiha



Series: The Right to Ask [1]
Category: Genghis Khan - Miike Snow (Music Video)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Study, Dominik is such a family man, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, M/M, Possibly Unrequited Love, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-22
Updated: 2018-02-27
Packaged: 2019-03-22 14:27:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13766085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tysmiha/pseuds/tysmiha
Summary: Expanding on the amazing fic by the even more amazing Solshine, here I am coming in a fashionable 2 years late to this party! This is a pretty seriously slow burn that spends more time building the gold-nose villain's character than it does focusing on his relationship to the spy. If you haven't read "It's a cheat somewhere" already, I definitely recommend doing that before you read this.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [It's a cheat somewhere](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5876644) by [Solshine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Solshine/pseuds/Solshine). 



How does one get into the "villainy" industry? It seems like an absurd question; most people assume that villains come into it naturally, that it's something that just happens for them, that falls out of the sky directly into their laps. They think that a villain just knows from a young age that the traditional lifestyle isn't for them, that there's something dark and insatiably angry deeply seated in their heart, and because of it, they wander off the path and make a home for themselves in their own hatred.

But those are high expectations to have of a child who just doesn't really fit in. Honestly, what sort of double-standard is it to show Timmy how to graduate school, find a wife, have kids and settle into a career until he dies, but then expect someone like Dominik to be a natural entrepreneur and basically build his own business from scratch with the entire world working against him? That's a lot of pressure to place on anyone, but hell if that's not what Dominik did.

So looking around at his First Official Secret Lair, Dr. Dominik Vergoldetschnauz couldn't help but openly smile. _He_ brought himself here. _He_ earned this. A lair built like a fortress with an entire team of unquestioning henchmen and scientists to bring his visions to life, and the brains of the operation, the boss, the Man in the Chair, was Dominik Vergoldetschnauz. This was years, hell, almost decades in the making. After gunfights and fistfights and covert operations and bombings, after losses and failures and suffering the disfiguration that inspired his name, after learning how to steel his heart and still keep up the facade of having a family life...all of it was leading up to this. This. This didn't just "fall into his lap". He _deserved_ this. Standing in the middle of this empty warehouse with the bustle of equipment being moved in and assembled all around him, Dominik spread his arms and breathed in deeply. This is what the top feels like, he thought. This is what it feels like to _win_.

Having fully absorbed the moment, Dominik let his arms fall and turned on his heel to take a spot at the top of a short set of stairs to address the room.

"Excuse me, everyone! Hello! Excuse me!"

At the sound of his voice, the ambience of shuffling feet, soft conversation and the clanking of tools subsided. In a moment, every pair of eyes in the room was on him, waiting for whatever came next. It was intoxicating, and he hadn't even given an order yet.

"Hello!" he said again...and was met with more silence. "I'm not going to bite," he laughed. "Let's try this one more time, shall we? Hello!"

The response was quiet, timid, but a few brave souls managed a cheerful "Hello!" in response.

"That's better, come on," Dominik said, waving his arms to encourage a little engagement. "Hello!"

"Hello!" The room was unanimous this time, apparently having finally decided that speaking directly to their new overlord was kosher.

"Hello! Hello, everyone! Welcome to your first official day on the job! If you are here, it means you were personally, hand-selected by me. So give yourselves a round of applause!" Dominik watched as he clapped along with everyone, the tension dissipating. "That's right, congratulations!"

As the applause ebbed, he looked around the room, wishing he were any good at learning faces. Or names, for that matter. There was no use being too hard on himself about it; one of the defining qualities of a villain, for better or worse, was self-importance. But even so...he wanted this to be different. For everyone involved. Call it branding, but Vergoldetschnauz Enterprises was not going to be the slave-driving dictatorship that every other villain in the world was running. Sure, he wanted to be recognized as a fearsome authority figure who may end your life at the smallest offense, but he didn't want his subordinates to hate coming to work every day. Unhappy employees equal a failing business, and Dominik was done with failure.

"You don't know how happy I am to see you all," he continued, "or how excited I am to be working with you. I have an incredible vision for the future, but I can't get there without every single one of you. So! That being said, there are a few rules I want to set down straight out of the gate.

"First! This is not your typical henchman gig! You are not just a number; you are not disposable. I don't want to see any mistakes, but I especially don't want to see any mistakes born out of a fear of approaching me. If an accident happens and any of you were to die, that would create a lot of extra work for me, and I don't have time for that. So if that is at all avoidable by coming to me first, I highly encourage you to do so.

"Second! This is not your typical henchman gig!" he smiled, pausing to allow anyone who wished to acknowledge his humor to have a short laugh -- a few took him up on it. "Your hours are 9 AM to 5 PM. This is non-negotiable, there will be no overtime. When that buzzer goes off at the end of the day, you are to stop what you're doing and exit the building. To ensure this happens, I've set a timer on all computers and machinery. At 5 PM, all equipment will be powered down. So make sure to save your work!

"And lastly... well." He paused again, deliberately making eye contact with a few scattered people in his audience. "Raise your hand if you want to make a difference!" Hands shot up. "If you want to make your mark!" More hands. "If you want to have a lasting impact on this god-forsaken hell planet," some scattered applause, "in hopes that someday it will either be a better place or wiped off the face of the universe!" The whole room was cheering now, and Dominik laughed, basking in the energy he had created.

"That's why we're here, all of us! I have incredible plans, and I won't stop, I cannot be stopped until I see them grow to fruition! If at any point you find yourselves at odds with what we're doing here, I highly encourage you to come speak to me. I want all of you to be happy with what we're accomplishing. Proud, even. Will you make that promise to me, here, now, that you will come to me with any issues you have?" He looked around again. "Yes, let me hear you! Will you promise me that?"

The crowd replied with an affirmative, seeming to grow more relieved by the second. Henchman work was thankless and unforgiving, and Dominik knew, if nothing else, that an open-door policy would put many of them at ease.

"Very good," he said, stepping down from his place at the top of the stairs. "Carry on then, and I look forward to getting to know each of you!"

\-----

A villain's secret lair is his home away from home. No, scratch that -- a villain's secret lair IS his home. Everything else is temporary, liminal, killing time until he can return. And Dominik's first night away from his lair, now that he had one, was excruciating. Sitting across the table from his wife and kids had never been so... _boring._ As Barbara chatted with the kids about their day at school, Dominik's mind raced with plans and projects, filling every corner of the building with any and every sort of high-tech death machinery. Maybe one wall for news articles about whatever destruction and chaos he got around to causing. That would be nice, a way to recognize his accomplishments and boost the morale of his henchmen. Maybe turn it into the breakroom...

"Honey?"

Dominik blinked himself back to reality. "Yes?"

"Did you hear that? Lizzie got an A on her science project."

"Oh! That's fantastic, sweetheart! I'm so proud of you." He smiled warmly at Lizzie. As disengaged as he was feeling, he really was proud of her for this. Especially for doing well in science; she really was his daughter. But even as Lizzie grinned back up at him, he could feel Barbara's stare. It wasn't one of contempt, only concern. And he hated that. He would almost rather it be contempt, at least that was something he could work with. But the only way to alleviate concern was to spend time comforting her, and he simply didn't have the patience for that today. He could already hear the conversation playing out: her telling him how far away he seemed at dinner. Him telling her he was just thinking about work. Her telling him that he could at least pretend to care about the rest of the family. Him telling her that he did, but today was a big day and he was a bit preoccupied. That he was tired and just wanted to go to bed. Her taking offense, him having to reassure her that he loved her and he would be in a better mood tomorrow.

He wasn't tired though, he just wanted to pass the time faster. But of course, sleeping is impossible when passing the time is all you want to do. The anticipation of waking up, dressing in his new uniform and going to work at his own lair was almost too much to handle. But despite the tossing and turning, he leapt out of bed the next morning, fresh-faced and as ready to take on the day as he would be after a full 8 hours.

Of course, he arrived a little early. He needed to make sure that everything was ready for the beginning of the workday, and maybe that didn't require three hours of preparation, but the time still flew by. The simple act of sitting in his lair put his soul at ease, and he felt like he could finally breathe.

The buzzer sounded and the doors swung open. 9 AM on the dot, every henchman and scientist was present and at their workstation in seconds. It was perfect, flawless. Dominik couldn't have imagined a better-oiled machine. It stirred his cold, hardened heart to witness such diligence, such dedication to his cause. He let a few minutes pass to allow everyone to settle in before he took his place again at the top of the steps.

"Good morning!" he said, and waited. This time, the silence acted as a cue and everyone quickly replied with an enthusiastic, "Good morning!" Dominik smiled. "I want to first thank all of you for your hard work yesterday. The lair is coming along beautifully, it's truly everything I've ever dreamed of." He clapped, and his audience followed suit.

"Today, I'll be talking to a select few of you about a small side project I'm hoping to take on. The rest of you will continue setup and will be brought in on this project as it becomes less of a nebulous idea and more of a solid plan with a blueprint. In the meantime, does anyone feel unsure of what their task is for the day?"

Silence. Good. He thought not.

"Wonderful, let's get to it then!"

\-----

Hypnosis is an interesting concept. How does one, over the course of just a few seconds, break through another's wall of consciousness to access the malleable, suggestible psyche underneath? The snap of a finger, the utterance of a word, and your most ardent enemy is tap dancing on command. Tap dancing is just an example, of course. Hypnosis would allow for a great many things to happen that usually wouldn't. Hypnosis could be used to, say, embarrass a playground bully in front of all of his friends. It could be used to, for example, convince your spouse that you're not there, so you can get some peace and quiet for a whole ten consecutive minutes. Or it could be used, maybe, to coerce a governor to sign a few errant bills into law that he, perhaps, otherwise would not.

What a provocative idea.

But the science of it is wishy-washy, at best. As Dominik sat around the table with his most adept scientists, he was beginning to feel like this one was leading to a dead end.

"Didn't The Jackal do some hypnosis thing a couple years ago?" he asked, exasperated.

"Yes sir, technically, sir," a scientist replied, "but the target suffered brain death after approximately three and a half minutes of being affected."

"Hmm," Dominik sighed. "Well, that's certainly not enough time for what I had in mind. Is there any way to at least get our hands on that technology so we have _some_ direction?"

The table was quiet. After several seconds, another scientist spoke up. "Well as you know, sir, The Jackal was neutralized after his last operation. All of his equipment was destroyed."

Dominik huffed loudly, rolling his eyes. "Does no one appreciate the artistry that goes into developing that level of technology? How depressing." He leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling. His first operation out of his new lair was stagnating before his eyes.

"...I have an idea, sir," a henchman said quietly, "if I may, sir."

Dominik sat up straight again, seeking out the face of whoever had spoken. "Yes, please do!"

"Well," the henchman said, "the VDA have records of everything The Jackal ever did." He stopped, waiting to be cut off or shut down. When that didn't happen, he took a breath and continued. "If we could somehow get a hold of those records, we would likely find something about his hypnosis ray."

The henchman was tense, clearly anticipating rejection. But Dominik knew he was right; this was their best shot. "Very well," he said, nodding. "Let's organize a low-key infiltration, concentrated on The Jackal's operations and weapons inventory." He waved a hand to disperse the meeting, but then, "Wait--" and the commotion stopped instantly. He really could get used to that. "On second thought, while we're in there, let's collect as much information as possible about every weapon they have on record."

"Yes sir," the group replied unanimously.

As they shuffled back to their workstations, Dominik pointed at the henchman who had offered the suggestion. "You! Come see me, please." The color drained from the henchman's face as he froze mid-step and turned to face his boss. It hadn't been his intention to scare the guy, but it was undeniably satisfying to know that he could. He let the tension linger for a moment, savoring it, before offering the henchman a reassuring smile. "What's your name?"

"Cooper, sir."

"Well done today, Cooper. Keep up the good work."

"Thank you, sir."

He dismissed Cooper and spun his chair around to face out over the rest of his lair, congratulating himself on the great job he did selecting his team. This was _very_ promising. Just like that, his first big scheme was set into motion, and Dominik decided this had to be the happiest he'd ever been.

\-----

It's easy to assume that all villains crave attention. After all, why put the effort into creating massive, intricate weapons or bombs that level everything in a 3-mile radius if you don't want people to notice you? It's true that some villains thrive on worldwide recognition for every evil deed they commit. And you'll never be named the ruler of the world if no one knows who you are.

But Dominik had decided that there were certain types and levels of attention, some of which he appreciated, others he could very well do without.

For example, there's the attention he received at home from his family. This is acceptable attention, sometimes wanted, sometimes not, but overall positive. His wife loves him, his children adore him, and the only reason he shunned their attention from time to time is that sometimes a person needs to be alone. To recover.

Then there's the attention he received from his subordinates. This was his favorite sort of attention because he could call it off whenever he wants with no repercussions. His henchmen won't corner him when he's alone and ask him if he wants to talk about it. His scientists won't give him an attitude because he dismissed them without a hug or a kiss. When he speaks, they listen. When he makes a request, it's fulfilled in the shortest possible amount of time. His team respects him, and that by itself is the best feeling in the world.

As far as attention from the media goes... well, Vergoldetschnauz Enterprises was still in its startup phase, so he hadn't had to deal with that just yet. And to tell the truth, he wasn't sure how he felt about it. On the one hand, seeing the public's reaction to destruction he caused was exhilarating. And he _did_ have that idea for a break room wallpapered with newspaper clippings. But on the other hand, part of him felt that getting that sort of widespread attention was a hindrance. It affected your element of surprise and occasionally instigated a few incredibly nosey people to try and insert themselves into whatever operation you're currently working on -- either to stop you or to help. Either way, no thanks.

But the attention he was receiving at the moment was a little more complicated than any of that, neither wanted nor unwanted. He supposed it was necessary, and he shouldn't mind it. He was confident in himself and his team, but after infiltrating the VDA's records and collecting everything they had about The Jackal's hypnosis ray, plus a few morsels of information about other weapons, they officially had their eye on Vergoldetshnauz Enterprises. Maybe they didn't know it by its name, maybe they didn't know Dominik, but they were looking. And that made Dominik uneasy.

At home, he had celebrated the infiltration with Barbara and a bottle of champagne. Now, standing over a few of his henchmen at their workstations as they fought to stamp out the intruder in their own system, he wished he had something a little stronger. He knew he should leave them to do their job, that he should try and get used to this sort of thing happening. The more successful he is, the more interest he'll generate and the more attempts there will be to bring him down. But he couldn't help himself, he physically could not tear his eyes away.

"What's taking so long?" he sighed, hating the words even as they left his mouth. He already knew the answer, and it didn't matter anyway. The amount of time it took to stop the infiltrator was irrelevant, what was important was that they didn't accomplish anything while they were in there, and that they would never be permitted to re-enter. "I'm sorry," he corrected himself, "I know you're trying. Do you think we're close, at least?"

"Nearly there," a henchman answered, "just a few more lines...and..."

_BUUUUUZZZZZZZ_

The screen went dark, and all around him, Dominik's men began filing out of the building. He'd completely lost track of time. He could have shut the timer off, just this once; this was important! The henchman looked up at him, clearly as startled as he was, neither of them wanting to ask the question.

"Did we..."

"Yes, I think so sir," the henchman said quickly.

"How sure are you?"

"...99%, sir."

"Just 99%?" Dominik could have exploded. Giving the VDA a 1% shot at anything was a huge mistake.

"Yes sir," the henchman replied, trying to cover up the quiver in his voice. "...Would you like me to stay longer, sir? Just to make sure?"

Dominik closed his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his golden nose. "No, no," he sighed. "Go home. If you say we got them, I'm inclined to believe you." Besides, even if he had run to switch everything back on, all the VDA would need were those few seconds unmonitored to wreak utter catastrophe.

"Are you sure, s--"

"Yes! Yes. I'm sorry, please. You're dismissed, thank you for your hard work today."

The henchman hesitated a moment longer before collecting himself and leaving Dominik to stare at the black computer screen in silence.

Whatever happened next was completely up to fate.

\-----

The day had finally arrived. Dominik stood in the middle of an opulent room gazing contemptuously down at the governor, secured in front of his desk by two particularly beefy henchmen. The governor wore a stoic expression as he tried to jerk himself away from their grip.

"Now, now, governor," he laughed. "There's no need to get worked up. We're not here to harm you." Dominik took a step closer and bent over to be eye level with him, inches from his face. "Pinky promise." He jammed a pinky up between their faces, just to make the governor flinch. This had always been his favorite part: the intimidation. He stared at the governor for a few more seconds before straightening up again.

"Cooper! Bring in the Hypnobeam!"

The door flung open and a complicated-looking contraption was rolled into the room, a glowing proboscis focusing on the governor's forehead.

"The paperwork!" Another henchman entered the room holding a manila folder which he promptly handed over.

Dominik dropped the folder on the desk in front of the governor. "Your autograph?" he requested, flashing a winning smile. "Pretty please?"

"Go fuck yourself," the governor replied.

"Well, that's not very polite, is it?" Dominik tsked. "That's too bad, but I can't say I expected anything else. That, as you might have guessed, is where _this_ comes in!" He gestured sweepingly at his Hypnobeam. After weeks of building and testing, rebuilding and testing some more, the Hypnobeam had been sent off to the front lines with an impressive 92.78% rate of accuracy. The idea was that the whole glowing proboscis bit shot a paralyzing ray to keep the subject perfectly still with their eyes open, while a strobe above it flashed in a particular pattern that induced hypnosis. Very simple, really, once the design was decided upon, and Dominik could not have been more proud. "Your cooperation will be greatly appreciated, governor."

As he fiddled with a few of the knobs and adjusted the beam to a more precise height, one of his henchmen hurriedly approached him. It was Cooper, and whatever he had to say was obviously urgent, but he hadn't gotten a word of it out before the rest of the henchmen were at full attention, focused on someone in the doorway.

Dominik turned to see what all of this was about, and was immediately struck by the sight of...who was that? An intern? A custodian? How could someone in a sweater like _that_ get a job in a place like _this_?

But before Dominik could open his mouth to ask any questions, a single shot was fired and the room began to fill up with smoke. His Hypnobeam had been destroyed in the blink of an eye, and was now sparking angrily from the bullet hole. "Get out!" he shouted, pointing Cooper towards the door. "Yes sir!" Cooper nodded, and began quickly ushering the rest of the henchmen out of the room.

The asshole in the terrible sweater had, for some reason, taken it upon himself to engage a couple of Dominik's henchmen in hand-to-hand combat. And he was actually...quite good. And then it hit him; this man was no intern, and it was high time for Dominik to get the hell out of there. As he slipped quietly out of the room, he caught the man -- the _agent's_ \-- eye, and could have sworn he saw him wink.  
  
What an insulting, cheeky, ~~seductive~~ , ~~unfairly attractive~~ , _ridiculous_ thing to do, in the middle of a fight no less. _In an ugly sweater_ , no less. Dominik couldn't decide which was more offensive. He _was_ sure, as he rushed along his escape route, that if this Ken doll reject ever crossed paths with him again, he would suffer for it. And, were it to happen, he'd better at least wear something he doesn't mind dying in.


	2. Chapter 2

"Dominik? Darling?" Barbara softly rapped on the bedroom door. "Can I come in?"

He wished she wouldn't but he supposed she would anyway, regardless of his response. "Yes, come in."

The door swung open gently and Barbara stepped inside, closing it again behind her. "The children are worried about you, dear. _I'm_ worried about you. You haven't come out all evening."

Her eyes on him felt like the sun searing into his already-damaged flesh, and for a moment he considered telling her to get out, get the _hell_ out. But looking back up at her, there was something in her kind expression that made him wonder, just for a moment, if maybe she would understand.

She gestured at the empty spot on the bed beside him. "May I?"

"Of course, please," Dominik said, sliding over a bit to make room.

Collecting her skirt, Barbara gingerly took a seat next to her husband. She chewed on the inside of her cheek and stared at the floor and didn't say anything. It was unbearable. He should have just told her no, that he wasn't in a state to talk, go away. But as he took in a breath to speak, she finally said, "Dominik, can I be perfectly honest with you?"

He expelled the breath as a laugh, half relieved and half exasperated. "I wish you would," he said.

She frowned. "Ever since you opened up your own location, it's like part of you never came home. I feel like I've lost that part of you forever, and it grieves me to see you sit at the table with your family, wishing you were somewhere else."

Dominik nodded, trying to exhibit some understanding, but internally he could not stop rolling his eyes. If she thought she was going to come in here and negotiate some sort of it's-me-or-the-lair ultimatum --

"I know how important this is to you, and I want you to pursue it to your fullest capability."

Well. That gave Dominik pause; it wasn't remotely what he expected her to say. He turned his head to meet her eyes, and she lifted a hand to his face, affectionately stroking his scarred cheek with her thumb. "You are far and away the kindest, most intelligent man I know."

Dominik laughed.

"No, I mean that!" Barbara laughed with him. "I know it sounds absurd, given all of the details. But it's true. And I don't want you to be unhappy because of me, I couldn't bear it to know that I was the reason you were unable to follow your vision to its end."

"Oh darling," Dominik sighed, "you're not in my way. I love coming home to you and the children. I love our home. I'm sorry I've made you feel this way, please forgive me." ...It was true. It was. He did love all of those things.

"There's nothing to forgive, Dom. I wasn't trying to make you feel guilty. I...I had an idea, actually."

"Oh? What's that?"

"Well..." she turned suddenly, angling herself toward him. "What if the kids and I took a little vacation? Just while you're settling in to your new job."

Huh. "Where would you go?"

"To the island, most likely. Their holiday is coming up, and the children have been doing so well in their studies. They deserve something nice."

Dominik wasn't sure what the appropriate response here was. He loved this idea, but he didn't want to love it too much. He was still waiting for the trap to spring. "They certainly do," he said, "but I would miss you all terribly. How long would you be gone?"

"Oh, I don't know. A couple weeks, two or three perhaps? If you like the idea, we could even spend the month there."

"A month? That's an eternity, what will I do here without you?"

"Whatever you want, I suppose. You haven't seemed to need us here much anyway."

And there it was.

"...I'm sorry," she said, shaking her head and looking to the ceiling. "That's why I want to do this. For both of us, not just for you. I need this too."

"No, no," Dominik took her hand in his. "I understand. Really. You should go, if you think it will help.

Barbara nodded, smiling at him sadly. "My hope is that by the time we come back, you'll have settled in and everything will go back to normal. That we'll feel like a family again."

"We will, darling," he said, giving her knuckles a chaste kiss as she stood up from the bed and opened the door.

"Will you come spend time with the children before they have to go to bed?"

"I think I'd better not, I had long day today."

Barbara closed the door behind her without another word.

\-----

Really, Dominik expected his sulking period to last longer. He expected to come in the next day after being thwarted by Agent PJs and find himself devoid of any motivation or will to interact with another human being. But walking into your own lair and being greeted by a standing ovation is surprisingly uplifting.

As he shrugged his coat off, Dominik was approached by Cooper and a scientist with a smile on his face and a hand extended. "Congratulations, sir," he said, shaking Dominik's hand firmly.

"Thank you," Dominik said. This was a nice way to be greeted, no matter the reason, but he had to admit...he wasn't really sure what there was to celebrate. They'd just suffered an embarrassing defeat, to a man who barely knew how to dress himself. Their equipment was destroyed, two of their men had been taken. The whole thing had been a disaster. But looking at the scene before him, you'd never know any of that. "Can I ask...what is all of this about?"

"Our first operation, sir!" Cooper replied, shaking Dominik's hand next.

"We may not have been a hundred percent successful this time," the scientist explained, "but we wanted to show you our appreciation for bringing us as close as you did. So we have a gift for you."

Dominik frowned. "I see." He couldn't help it, part of him felt like this was some elaborate setup and this whole thing was going to reveal itself as some sort of coup or mutiny because the operation had been such a terrible failure, that suddenly they had all realized they were working for a moron and it was time to make a change.

He looked at Cooper, studying his face. Dominik had always considered himself reasonably good at reading people. He wouldn't have gotten this far if he _wasn't_ good at it, honestly. As a villain, advancing your career demanded careful scrutiny of everything and everyone you encounter. Failure to notice the smallest detail usually came with grave consequences. But Cooper looked open, trusting, excited even. This wasn't a man out for vengeance. Dominik narrowed his eyes at him, and Cooper's expression changed ever so slightly to one of mild discomfort and confusion. Good.

"Would you like to see it?" he offered, shifting awkwardly.

Dominik suddenly became acutely aware of the rest of the room watching them. "Of course!" he said, "of course. Thank you very much, this really is entirely uncalled for."

"Not at all," the scientist said, waving a hand in the air to bring another two henchmen forward. Between them, they carried a large box covered in a sheet. "It's just a little something we threw together using some of the intel we collected from the VDA infiltration." He gestured toward the box. "Would you like to do the honors?"

Dominik hesitated for a moment before reaching out and pulling the sheet off, letting it fall to the ground. Before him, encased in plexiglass, was the most beautiful explosive device he'd ever seen. This was the sort of bomb Dominik had only ever dreamed of building; finding the necessary components had always been too big of a chore and there had always been something else slightly more in his reach. "How..." he started, circling the case. "It's...it's marvelous. It's perfect." He looked up, making sincere eye contact with the scientist and Cooper. "Thank you. I don't know what to say."

He looked back out to the rest of his team, making more of an effort to project his voice. "Thank you, all of you," he said. "I know this first operation wasn't everything we hoped it would be, but I also know that together, we're unstoppable. Rest assured, this incredible gift will not go to waste. I'm so grateful to have you all, thank you."

The bomb was taken away and Dominik accepted a few more handshakes as everyone returned to their workstations. He was already dreaming of the devastation his new toy would bring about; just like that, his post-thwarting slump was behind him. It was time to get to work.

\-----

The Ambassadors' Ball was an annual abomination for which hundreds of overpaid stuffed shirts gathered to "spread their wealth", supposedly to charity or other foundations deemed helpful to society. In truth, it was a superficial and self-congratulatory way to keep their money where they wanted it and still make it look like philanthropy. It was incestuous and corrupt, evil in an underhanded way that Dominik could never respect.

So it was logical that the bomb he was gifted found a perfect home in the sewers directly beneath the banquet hall where the ball was being held. With the push of a button, this scourge of a tradition would be eradicated, hopefully forever. And there wasn't a better way to commemorate it than with a farewell speech. Or maybe "eulogy" was a better word.

Dominik stood in the wing, waiting for the lights to dim and the crowd to turn their attention to the stage. They were waiting for their host, the esteemed CEO of an international technology development corporation, to step up and address them, massage their egos. Unfortunately, that CEO was a little tied up at the moment.

The second hand on Dominik's watch seemed to be moving inordinately slowly, but the timing of this was crucial. In his head, the lights would go down and he would stroll out on stage in the CEO's stead, informing the bewildered guests of their inevitable demise, drinking in their panic and confusion. In reality, however, an unexpected guest had arrived.

"So we meet again," a voice spoke out of the shadows.

Dominik turned to look, startled, and the man revealed himself. He was clean cut, framed by the pristine lines of his freshly pressed tuxedo. Dominik would hardly have recognized him, except something about this guy's pompous smile triggered a memory and suddenly he could see him clearly, donning that atrocious sweater and winking at him on his way out the door.

"Agent Bradley Ellington," he clarified. And that was that, there was no taking it back. Now Dominik knew his name, which meant that now, Dominik had a problem. A problem named Agent Bradley Ellington.

And he certainly looked better in a suit.

Stunningly so.

Dominik spat his own name back at him, and they were officially introduced. The moment Ellington made a move toward him, two henchmen appeared to drag the agent away.

In the distraction, Dominik had lost track of time. The lights in the hall had already dimmed and he could hear the hushed murmur of the crowd, unsure of what was happening. He took a breath, dusted off the breast of his uniform and took a step toward the stage--

and was immediately yanked back again, thrown to the floor. When he realized what was happening, he was looking up into the barrel of Agent Bradley Ellington's pistol. He quickly rolled away to get to his feet, to the sound of gunfire. A sound which, coincidentally, is just as loud and alarming to a crowd full of unaware civilians as it was to the bullet's intended target. Screams poured in from the banquet hall and Dominik knew his opportunity had passed.

"Careful, agent," Dominik said, hardening his expression, "you wouldn't want to get blood on that fancy suit."

"It's over, Dr. Vergoldetschnauz," Ellington replied, leveling his gun on Dominik again.

And so it was, at least for now. Dominik ducked and rushed at Ellington, shoulder first, shoving him out of the way and running past him toward his escape.

\-----

As upset as he was at another failed mission, Dominik felt the blame was not entirely on himself this time. Maybe it's petty to point fingers at your own staff, but if his henchmen had been able to contain Agent Bradley Ellington they probably would have at least been able to recover the bomb for later use. What a heartbreaking waste.

He knew that wasn't fair, though. If he had been more careful, planning for some sort of VDA interruption, maybe this whole thing would have gone off without a hitch. Next time.

At home, Barbara and the kids were packing up for their vacation. Dominik couldn't deny that he felt relieved knowing he would have the house to himself for a month. No having to talk when he's not in the mood. No pretending to be happy when he isn't. No pretending, period. Just blissful silence for an entire month.

"I'm going to miss you all dreadfully." Dominik ruffled his son's hair. "You're going to have so much fun, I wish I could be there with you."

"Why won't you come with us, papa?" Alex asked, pouting up at him.

"Your father's very busy right now, sweetheart," Barbara interjected. "You know he would come if he could. Go on and join your sister for breakfast."

Alex left and the air grew heavy with no one else to distract them from each other. Dominik wasn't sure what she expected him to say, but he felt like he was supposed to apologize for something. What, he wasn't sure, but he supposed it was better than complete quiet. "I'm sorry," he said.

"No," Barbara sighed. "Don't be sorry, just...I hope this is out of your system by the time we come home."

"This is my career, Barbara," Dominik frowned. "This is my life. I've worked -- I've _sacrificed_ so much to be where I am. Please don't make me choose, I can't do it."

Something flashed in Barbara's eyes, but she quelled it with an inhale. "I would never ask you to choose, Dom, for christ's sake. Give me some credit." She turned around to zip up a garment bag. "All I mean is that I hope the newness of all this wears off and you're able to find a routine that grants the rest of us a little more of your attention."

"Yes, of course," he said, reaching out with one arm to try and pull his wife over for a hug. But with her back still to him, she took a step just out of his reach, laying the garment bag over a chair. Dominik dropped his arm, retracting it as she turned back around to face him again.

"Good," she said. "We'll be gone as soon as the children finish their breakfast. If there's an emergency, the number for the beach house is on the counter. But--" Her body tensed for a moment. "Please only call if there's an emergency. I...I think it would be best if we didn't speak while I'm gone."

"I can't call to talk to the children?" Dominik said, a little surprised. He knew that she was angry with him, but apparently he'd underestimated just how upset she was.

"I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be cruel." She reached out to place a hand gently on his arm. "I just need some time to...reset. I don't want to think about any of this, I want to be happy to see you when I come home."

It stung, but Dominik supposed he understood. It would probably hurt more if he wasn't so looking forward to being alone. To be honest, he hadn't even thought about calling them while they were gone until Barbara brought it up. Maybe he _was_ a little too wrapped up in his work. He nodded and patted her hand on his arm. "Have a good time, darling. I love you."

\-----

Two weeks into his domestic solitude, Dominik had developed a plan for his third operation. This one was clean, uncomplicated and absolutely accounted for some attempted intervention by the VDA. That was never going to happen again, twice was quite enough thank you. Although it wasn't the first time Dominik had been on the wrong end of a gun, it never really became any more pleasant than the time before.

Maybe the issue was taking on too much too quickly, he thought. In his excitement to begin his self-employed villany, he'd bitten off more than he could chew. No, this time he would do it right. He'd drawn out the blueprint for an easy in-and-out heist -- no explosions, no ridiculous body count. Just a classic grab-the-cash-and-go at a popular casino.

He'd decided to take more a backseat approach this time, having _slightly_ more recognizable features than the average person. He planned to send in four henchmen; two to collect the money and two to secure their escape route. He would be waiting outside with a fifth henchman to help with the getaway, and to watch for any signs of the VDA. And he had a good feeling about this one, he liked the simplicity.

Minutes before the heist was scheduled to begin, Dominik stood around the corner from the entrance wearing a brimmed hat, carefully tilted to obscure his face in shadow. Everything was set perfectly into place, perimeter secured, everyone at their stations. All he needed to do was wait and trust his team. The whole thing was only supposed to take two or three minutes overall. If the VDA dared to show up here, any bloodshed would be on their hands. And Dominik knew how much they fretted over collateral damage. Anyway, he was certain that this operation was low-key enough that --

"Dr. Vergoldetschnauz," a voice spoke. He knew that voice, and it made his skin crawl.

Dominik looked up and sure enough, before him stood what felt like the only agent the VDA has sent to deal with him. Were they short on help or something? "Agent Bradley Ellington," he spat. "Come here often?"

"You know you won't get away with this," Ellington smirked. "You may as well come with me. Before things get ugly."

"Agent, please," Dominik rolled his eyes. "I know you only came here to see me. Don't worry, I won't tell your wife." It was a shot in the dark, but worth it if even for a moment it made Ellington wonder how much Dominik knew about his personal life.

Ellington laughed, a loud, bark of a laugh. "I won't tell if you don't." He winked.

How nauseatingly charming.

Dominik was over this already. He checked his watch; unless something had held up his men inside, they should be on their way out the door in about one minute. "As much as I'd love to stay and chat, I really must be going," he said, pulling a laser gun from inside his coat, aiming it at Ellington. "Raincheck?"

"Not likely," Ellington replied, pulling out his own gun.

"If you insist," Dominik sighed, shrugging and firing at a spot near Ellington's feet. He knew he ought to just kill him and be done with it, but he really didn't want any casualties of his own making tonight. The whole point was to be able to point the finger at the VDA.

The laser sparked against the pavement, inciting Ellington to leap out of the way. He recovered quickly and charged, gun ready, but Dominik knew he wouldn't shoot, not with a wide open street behind him. Anyone could walk or drive by at any moment and that would be a death on Ellington's conscience. Dominik fired again, missing Ellington's side, and in a few swift punches the agent had knocked the laser gun out of his hands. Shit.

"I warned you, Vergoldetschnauz," Ellington said, shoving him to the brick wall of the casino. "Either come with me, or get ready to cash in your chips."

Delightful, gambling jokes. Because they're at a casino. Great.

"I do appreciate having options," Dominik said, "but I'm afraid I'm going to have to go with 'none of the above'." He jerked his arm away from Ellington's grip -- or would have, but the agent was astonishingly strong for his slender frame. For his efforts, he was shoved back harder with the nose of the gun now buried under his ribs. He couldn't cover up the surprise on his face quickly enough, and Ellington smiled smugly at him.

They locked eyes. Dominik was not sure how he was going to get out of this, but part of him...wasn't trying that hard. Staring back at Ellington, he watched something in the agent's expression soften, just for a moment. And then it was over -- Dominik heard a _crack_ , and Agent Bradley Ellington crumpled to the ground. Behind him stood one of Dominik's henchmen, examining the butt of his gun for blood.

Dominik stared down at the VDA agent's unconscious body.

"...Is he..."

The henchman bent down to examine, picking up Ellington's arm and holding two fingers to his wrist. "He's alive. We gotta go, boss."  
  
Dominik nodded, grateful that whatever the _hell_ just happened was over.

\-----

Over time, Ellington's presence at Dominik's operations became a constant. And...Dominik would be lying if he said he didn't look forward to it, just a little bit. It was entirely counter-intuitive; Ellington was a nuisance, a roadblock between Dominik and his ultimate goals. But after the incident at the casino, learning that Mr. Secret Agent Man wasn't entirely infallible, that he could show up and it wouldn't necessarily mean certain defeat, he acted as more of a challenge to improve upon the previous operation.

On the rare occasions the VDA sent someone else in Ellington's place, Dominik was all but guaranteed a win. Which was nice for a few reasons, not the least of which being, well, winning. But it also served to exemplify just how much Vergoldetschnauz Enterprises had grown. Ellington may have been a match for Dominik, but the VDA was not. Not anymore, anyway.

It seemed, too, that Ellington's regular appearances had aided in helping Dominik settle into the steady pattern his wife hoped he would find. Barbara and the children had come home a few weeks ago, rested and ready to step back into the real world. He was sorry to relinquish the peaceful quiet, but more than ready to have his family back. There wasn't anything an empty house could give him that was quite the same as watching his children run to him down the driveway for a hug, their tanned faces beaming up at him.

Clearly, Barbara hadn't spent nearly as much time in the sun as the kids. He imagined her reading a book under an umbrella while Alex and Lizzie splashed in the waves, and Dominik found himself wishing more than anything that he'd been there with them.

Over the past two weeks, Dominik felt he'd successfully proven to Barbara that everything had worked out the way she'd wanted it to. He found it easier to immerse himself in dinnertime conversation and generally make himself more available, even sometimes arriving late to work after dropping the kids off at school. He had built this routine for himself at her request, and considered himself lucky that it suited him just as well as it suited her.

He hadn't realized just how much he'd come to lean on this routine until the day it was interrupted. It shouldn't have been that much of an interruption; it wasn't as if someone had intruded into his lair and attempted some act of violence, it wasn't even as if the power had gone out and no one could get any work done. Those are interruptions. This was, rather, more like the feeling you get when you're going down stairs and miss a step, or think there's one more step and there isn't. Your foot just falls for what seems like an eternity, and you're not sure how you're going to recover. It upsets the pace you were keeping, Dominik decided, and in that way, yes. It was an interruption.

And just like that, Dominik found himself once again, sitting at the table with his family, completely unable to focus. It was probably a good thing, he told himself. This last operation was so well-planned that it slipped entirely under the VDA's radar. But was it well-planned, or just too small-time? And _that_ was what bothered him, he insisted. He and his men had successfully robbed the largest bank in the area. By the time the cops arrived, they were long gone without a trace. And neither Bradley Ellington nor any other agent had even attempted to stop them.

Or maybe it was intentional, on their behalf. They knew he'd grown accustomed to dealing with their agents in the middle of executing his schemes, so they decided not to send anyone this time just to trip him up. But they wouldn't let that much money just walk out the door, right? It had to be a trap. They had tracked the money and were planning an infiltration at his lair to recover it. He should warn his team, he should figure out some sort of additional security measures in case that were to happen. It could be happening now, while he's sitting here pushing peas around on his plate.

"Dominik."

The world re-appeared around him and he realized very suddenly just how far gone he'd been. Barbara was not happy.

"I'm sorry," Dominik shook his head.

"You've barely touched your food," Barbara frowned.

"I'm sorry," he said again, "I'm afraid I'm not feeling very well. I think there's something going around the office."

The look on her face subsided to one of reluctant sympathy. "Do you need to go lie down?"

Dominik sighed, partially in relief that she'd accepted his excuse. "Yes, I think so.

"Would you like me to bring you some tea?"

"No, no, it's alright. I think I just need some rest."

He excused himself to the privacy of the bedroom, shutting the door firmly behind him and falling back onto the bed. A bank robbery _was_ a bit banal. But the money they'd picked up would fund them for the foreseeable future, assuming they managed to hold onto it. Every step of the plan, Dominik had waited for Bradley Ellington to show his arrogant face. Or any other VDA agent, he supposed, but Ellington...he was the one, out of the entire agency, that posed any real threat. Why wouldn't they send him? Really, what the _hell_ else were they doing that was so important they couldn't respond to the largest bank robbery in the last two decades?

A thought hit him the way a windshield hits a bug, so small and avoidable but nonetheless sprayed across the glass. He dismissed it immediately. It wasn't uncommon in this line of work to get wires crossed; feelings of intense hatred can bleed over and be misinterpreted as something else. But the bottom line was that he didn't miss Ellington. To miss someone implies fondness. No, Dominik may have a small amount of respect for Agent Ellington, but he certainly didn't _miss_ him.

He crawled up further on the bed and buried his face in a pillow, feeling slightly nauseous. Maybe he really was coming down with something.

\-----

The next venture Vergoldetschnauz Enterprises undertook would surely more than make up for any tediousness of their last escapade. Maybe the VDA found stealing millions right out from under such a large bank mundane, but they were going to love this one.

His team had been generous enough to rebuild the bomb they'd gifted him, with a few tweaks at his request. Now, they were looking at a bomb that not only was fiercely destructive, but submersible in water. In the harbor, shrouded in the sandy, brackish water of the bay, Op-2 Mark II was poised to wipe out a yacht full of odious millionaires and billionaires, and anyone else who happened to be in a quarter-mile radius. All he had to do was reach the top of a nearby radio tower to boost the detonator's signal.

In a way, he viewed it as a throwback to the first time he and Ellington were properly introduced. While it wasn't the exact same group of comically overpaid jerks, he figured there had to be at least a little overlap.

Staring out at the sun setting behind the heavy clouds rolling in over the water, Dominik felt more at peace than he had in what felt like forever. This was the job that would bring balance back to his life and finally put his mind at rest. Ellington would show up just in time to watch the yacht explode, and Dominik would be able to go home and focus on his family again.

He turned his back to the water and looked up at the radio tower just as the first raindrops fell, plinking off of his nose. It was a long way up, but as long as he made it to the top before the party ended, he was golden. There wasn't a lot he could think of that would foil this plan.

With the cloud coverage, darkness set in quickly. Dominik began his ascent once he established that his men were in position, getting maybe ten feet off the ground before he heard that voice with which he'd grown so familiar.

"Stop right there, Dr. Vergoldetschnauz!"

Dominik didn't need to look back to see who it was, but damned if he didn't do it anyway. There Agent Bradley Ellington stood, gun pointed at him as steadfastly as ever. Rain dotted his white dress shirt and Dominik wondered briefly where that heinous sweater was now.

"It's too late, agent!" Dominik shouted, gesturing to the detonator strapped onto his belt. "You can't stop this!" He turned back around, climbing a little more urgently. A bullet ricocheted off of the tower somewhere near Dominik's right hand, and a second shot rang out but missed entirely. Then Dominik felt the ladder shake as Ellington leapt onto it, climbing up speedily after him.

The rain was coming down harder now, soaking through Dominik's uniform. There was no way he was going to make it to the top of the tower before Ellington caught up to him, he was gaining on him too quickly. Dominik set his eyes on a catwalk just a few feet above him, pushing himself to get there before Ellington could grab an ankle and pull him down to his death.

Setting his feet on a flat surface was an extraordinary relief, and he allowed himself a couple seconds to catch his breath, pulling out his gun to aim at Ellington. The agent hoisted himself onto the catwalk, a laser barely grazing his shoulder. He made a pained face and shot back, missing his foe completely.

Dominik watched the blood spread over the rain-saturated fabric of Ellington's shirt and felt...something. Of course it wasn't the first time he'd injured the agent; Ellington had dealt out his fair share of blows as well. But everything about this encounter felt strange. Like it was final somehow, setting something forever in stone. It unsettled him.

"Hand over the detonator," Ellington demanded, surprisingly out of breath.

"Go home to your family, Ellington," Dominik said. "I'm sure they would miss you dreadfully, were anything to happen to you."

Ellington shook his head, amused. "All this time we've spent together, it's like you barely know me," he said.

Interesting. So no family then. It was beginning to make sense: Bradley Ellington was a man with nothing to lose, except his career. And his life.

"Fine," Dominik shrugged. "If you want it, come and take it." He unclipped the detonator from his belt and held it up, baiting him.

And Ellington bit. He must have thought he would be quicker than his opponent, but he paid for that miscalculation with a solid blow to the face. Dominik ran past him as he reeled, jumping at the ladder to continue his climb.

The wind picked up and the rain was now blowing into Dominik's face. With one hand he attempted to quickly reattach the detonator back to his belt, but in his multitasking he felt his foot slip on the ladder rung. His heart jumped into his throat as his grip faltered and he fell. It was going to be a long way down. Time seemed to be moving slower, like he could feel every individual raindrop as it hit him. A hundred thoughts crossed his mind at once, and it occurred to him that he didn't want to die, but everyone has to go at some point. He wished he could at least set off the bomb before he hit the pavement, as one final fuck-you to the VDA. To Bradley _Fucking_ Ellington.

But just as he'd resigned himself to his fate, he felt his body jerk to a halt. Ellington's hand was tight around his wrist, holding him firmly in place. Dominik watched him grimace and heave him back to the ladder, which he grabbed onto immediately. But Ellington was too close. Dominik could feel his breath, warm against his weather-chilled skin. He searched Ellington's face for something, anything that he could play off of or argue with. But all he saw was Bradley Ellington looking right back at him, searching just as hard.

Dominik wanted to scream at him. Why would he do that? Why wouldn't he just let him die? What was the point of all of this if Ellington didn't actually want to see him finished, once and for all? He hated the fact that he had to ask any of those things, and if he could have shot Ellington without letting go of the ladder again, he absolutely would have. Instead, he settled for pushing the button on his detonator. They were close enough to the top, he figured, it was worth a shot.

The harbor lit up and the explosion rang out, startling Ellington, who turned his head to watch the fire consume the yacht and its neighboring boats. Then his eyes were back on Dominik, and Dominik saw the hurt he was going for. Ellington let go of Dominik's wrist as though it were diseased, confusion taking over his expression.

Dominik opened his mouth to ask him, "What the fuck did you think would happen? I did what I came here to do," but was interrupted by the deafening pulse of rotating helicopter blades. He expected Ellington to try and stop him from escaping, but instead the agent just watched Dominik's henchmen help him into his helicopter and fly away.

\-----

Even before Dominik conceived of Vergoldetschnauz Enterprises, he’d been a working man. Before the kids, before the comfortable house in the suburbs, before Barbara. His whole life felt like it was leading up to something big, and he had decided that he wouldn’t slow down until he figured out what it was.

There was a brief period of time where Dominik wondered if it was Barbara. She was beautiful, kind and smart with a biting sense of humor that had brought Dominik to tears on multiple occasions. But as much as he loved her, he could never make himself stay home, away from the projects that called his name so loudly it would wake him up in the middle of the night.

Then Lizzie came along, and Dominik was infatuated. Never before had he felt such unshakable devotion to another human being. He was prepared to give her anything she asked for, the moment she asked for it. This, he thought, was where his life had been leading all this time. And when Alex showed up after her, it was almost enough to make Dominik quit villainy entirely.

But one of the most attractive things about his chosen career path was that it had equipped him with the expertise and means to execute even his most fantastical schemes. And it was painfully difficult to stop a train of ideas once they started to come together. How could he sit back at home, comfortable and happy with his family, when he knew exactly how to make _real_ change in this world? It was unbearable, and so he went back.

So when Vergoldetschnauz Enterprises became truly feasible, Dominik decided once and for all that this was it. This was what it was all for. This would be his legacy, his legend. And he’d been running things reasonably smoothly for about six months when the truth of the matter hurtled into sharp relief.

Lying in bed next to Barbara, he stared up at the ceiling fan wishing he were dead. The scene played through his head again and again, each time making less sense than the time before. Why would Ellington want him alive? Had the VDA ordered him to do it? Were they planning on capturing him somehow and bringing him in for interrogations? What good could he possibly do for them alive?

He felt like the acid in his stomach was going to consume him entirely, dissolve him into a puddle of deranged and unfulfilled goo, because he knew that none of those questions were actually relevant. None of those questions asked for the answers he was really after. There was something he was ignoring, and acknowledging that alone felt like he’d set himself on fire.

Taking in a breath, he let himself replay the part he’d been intentionally skipping. Ellington’s grip on his wrist, his breath on Dominik’s skin, the look in his eyes, rain dripping down his confused face. Dominik lingered there. There was something quiet about that moment that settled his mind for the first time all night. He wanted to imagine the scene playing out differently, but he wasn’t sure realistically what could have changed. In the end, Dominik would always push that button and complete his mission. The alternative was being strewn across the pavement in an unrecognizable mass of flesh and gold.

As much as he didn’t want to think about it, he inevitably found himself looking again at the expression on Ellington’s face after the yacht exploded, like he’d been on that boat too. If he thought Dominik wouldn’t really kill every single one of those assholes without a second thought, he absolutely knew better now. And what made him entitled to any feelings of betrayal, anyway? Dominik was his enemy, Dominik was the “bad guy”. Dr. Dominik Vergoldetschnauz was a threat to public safety and someone would have to stop him.

Right?

He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes as if the pressure would somehow jettison the image directly out of his brain forever. This was only happening because he’d almost died. That’s what this was. Some sort of existential crisis.

But crisis or not, all of this came down to two things: First, that Bradley Ellington had saved his life. That was the long and short of it. He was alive, here, now, in this house, in this bed, because Bradley Ellington had saved his life. And that was something he was going to need to come to terms with one way or another.

The second was a question which begged desperately for an answer that Dominik wasn’t sure he was willing to give: If, hypothetically speaking, Ellington _were_ on that boat...would he still have pushed the button? No, Dominik thought, if he was going to grapple with that subject he may as well distill it down to its core. No hypotheticals, no distancing himself from the truth of it.

Did he still want Bradley Ellington dead?

...Had he ever?

Dominik sat up, throwing his legs over the side of the bed, gripping the edge of the mattress.

It didn’t matter how or what he felt, he decided. The answer had to be yes.


	3. Chapter 3

Barbara woke up the next morning to an empty bed. Dominik nearly jumped out of his skin when he finally noticed her standing on the other side of the kitchen, arms folded, looking at him through groggy eyes.

“Dom, it’s 5 AM. How long have you been awake?”

“Just a little while, darling. I had dream about...well, I was struck with this idea and I couldn’t sleep until I at least got an outline down. I must have lost track of time.”

He hadn’t slept. How could he? He had a “dream” in which he killed Agent Bradley Ellington, reduced him to nothing but an unidentifiable heap of ashes, and now he was sketching out plans of how to make that dream a reality.

Barbara came over, placing her hands gently on his shoulders and looking down at his drawings.

“A death ray, huh?” she mused.

Dominik huffed. The cliche of it was not lost on him, but desperate times call for desperate measures. And he wasn’t really in the mood to laugh about it.

He shrugged her hands away. “I’m nearly done. Please, just…” and he was lost again. If he could just figure out a way to contain the radiation…

When he looked up again, Barbara was gone. He sighed. That was going to come back to bite him.

But it didn’t matter, none of this mattered. The only thing that mattered was finishing this blueprint and building a prototype as fast as humanly possible. Every minute Ellington was allowed to keep breathing was another minute Dominik spent in failure.

Before he could suppress it, the memory played through his mind again and he was once more face to face with the agent and his wounded expression. It was infuriating. All he wanted was to be purged of the entire experience. He briefly wondered what it would take to build a time machine, or maybe some sort of memory eraser, but no. Running from this wasn’t the solution. He needed to end it. He needed it to end.

Re-focusing on his drawing, he realized his pen had drifted errantly through some calculations.

Great.

Sitting here was useless, and his plans were complete enough to at least discuss with his team. He stood up and swiped the papers haphazardly into his briefcase, slamming it shut and walking out the door.

\-----

The first speed bump Dominik’s scientists discovered in his plan nearly killed him. He’d felt the world screeching to a halt around him and thought for a minute that someone had stabbed him through the heart, or maybe poisoned his coffee. But a quick assessment proved him to still be perfectly alive and in working condition, just devastatingly inconvenienced.

It was true that using a radioactive substance to produce a ray both hot and concentrated enough to reduce a fully grown man to ashes was dangerous, but he didn’t realize how complicated making it safe to operate would be. As it was, he’d drawn out the plans for an incredibly powerful laser...that could only be used remotely, from about a block away.

And that wouldn’t do. He had to be in the room, he had to _be there_ when Ellington realized he was going to die. He wanted to savor the fear, the panic. And he wanted Ellington to look at him and _know_ in the deepest reaches of his soul that Dominik couldn’t possibly give less of a shit about his pathetic, insignificant existence. That Ellington meant _nothing_ to him.

Nothing they had in their facility was capable of containing that sort of radiation. Nothing in any of the plans they’d siphoned off of the VDA’s records had any advice or direction to offer. After poring over the sketches and formulas for nearly three hours, they’d come to the unanimous conclusion that a little bit of outsourcing would be necessary to make any further progress.

And so Dominik found himself outside of a government-funded research lab in the wee hours of the morning, having barely slept since before that cataclysmic incident three days ago. Or four. Three or four days ago. Anyway, he didn't need sleep. He needed to be right here.

Somewhere in this building was a small glass vial, a sort of fuse that would not only absorb and diffuse extraneous radiation, but if thoughtfully placed, would also intensify the beam. It was perfect, better than anything he could have come up with in a snap. And while they were there, it wouldn’t hurt to pick up a few extra souvenirs.

He stood in the doorway watching his henchmen load up their van with assorted equipment, the building’s alarms having been overridden by some sonic emitter pylons arranged around the perimeter of the building. He’d equipped himself and his men with earplugs of his own design which filtered out only the frequency of the pylons, but anyone else near enough to hear would be incapacitated for anywhere from three to ten minutes depending on how long they were exposed to the sound.

Under normal circumstances he’d be elated to acquire all of the new technology they’d discovered in this lab; surely something in there was the key to the success of their next operation. But it was hard to see past his current mission. Until Ellington was dead, there was no future. There were no additional projects. His world was at an absolute pause until he could put an end to this.

As if on cue, Dominik’s train of thought was interrupted by a voice like fingernails on a chalkboard.

“What’s this one about?” Agent Bradley Ellington asked, appearing out of the darkness about ten feet away. “Who dies this time?” It was an anemic attempt at banter, the usual flippancy all but absent.

Dominik almost ignored him. He wished he could just pretend that he wasn’t even there, that he could swat him away like a mosquito. What if he just turned around and shot him here, now? It could all be over in a second, and Dominik could move on with his life. But the idea of having Ellington at his mercy, drawing out his death, making him suffer was too sweet to resist.

So he turned around, bracing himself for whatever he would see on Ellington’s face: disappointment, hurt, confusion. It was all bullshit. If Ellington felt anything at all, it was his own fault. Dominik gave him a cold once-over, pulling the sonic emitter activator out of his pocket.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” he said, pressing the button and walking away. He imagined Ellington collapsed on the ground behind him, wrenching his hands over his ears, face contorted in pain, and allowed himself a self-satisfied smile.

\-----

Barbara had been lukewarm to Dominik ever since he turned her away the morning after his near-death experience. He wished he could explain to her that he was every bit as frustrated as she was. That he really had intended to keep his promise to her, that he wanted nothing more than to concentrate on his family. He wished he could clone himself so he could stay home and help the kids with their homework or take Barbara out to nice dinners while the other half of him toiled away in misery trying to dismantle his enemy.

Their interactions had grown more terse every day, and he feared the children were beginning to notice. Ellington was creeping into his home life, and Dominik wondered how the hell it was possible to hate another human being as much as he hated Agent Bradley goddamn Ellington.

At night, Dominik laid in bed with Barbara’s back to him, unable to sleep as he had been since that night. The memory of it was still as fresh as ever. It should have been comforting to know that within the week, Ellington’s life would be his to end, but instead Dominik just felt sick. And lying in that room next to a woman radiating with resentment was suffocating. He pushed the covers back and got out of bed, seeking repose in the privacy of the bathroom.

In the mirror, he stared at his own features. Scarred, serious. Intimidating. He lifted his chin and looked down at himself, silently commanding his thoughts to fall into line. He was Dr. Dominik Vergoldetschnauz, mastermind of Vergoldetschnauz Enterprises, and he was perfectly capable of overcoming any obstacles thrown his way.

Even obstacles as complicated as Bradley Ellington.

Dominik closed his eyes and imagined where the agent might be, right now. At home, he suspected, wherever that was. No family, but not alone, no. Dominik was certain there had to be a revolving door of women in and out of his bed. Was there any one of them he preferred more than the rest? Had any of them ever broken his heart? Would any of them miss him when he was dead?

When looked back at himself, his eyes were red. Bloodshot, probably, from the lack of sleep, but that didn’t explain the wetness that dripped from his unfeeling nose down to his hand on the edge of the sink. He stared at the droplet sitting atop his skin and felt another. A second glance in the mirror confirmed it: though his face remained stoic, those were definitely tears.

What the hell?

He wanted to be furious with himself, this was absurd. He was being ridiculous, weeping like a child. He didn’t even know what he was upset about, there was no reason for this. But he felt too drained to conjure up another emotion, even one as natural to him as anger.

This was it, he thought. He was finally losing it. He’d seen it happen to the best of villains, but he didn’t think it would happen to him. At least not so quickly. He let himself sink down to the floor, leaning back against the tub with his face in his palm. The greatest criminal minds had peaked years into their careers, decades in some cases, and all of them were brought down by one thing: obsession. He should have seen it coming. In hindsight, that was the only word he could think of that described what he imagined Barbara had witnessed over these past weeks.

But he needed Ellington to die. He couldn’t keep running into him, feeling like he owed him something, feeling like there was something he needed to say but not having the words. He knew he couldn’t magically erase Ellington’s eyes or the sound of his voice from his memory, but if he were dead then at least over time he might forget.

He _wished_ he could just forget.

\-----

Three weeks to the day that Dominik made his decision to end Bradley Ellington’s life, the pieces were set and the plan to lure the agent to his lair was a go. He got out of bed that morning feeling nothing. Not excitement, not anxiety, not relief. None of the things he expected to feel now that the day had finally arrived. Which was terrible, he thought, but he couldn’t even properly feel disappointed.

He hadn’t slept. Barbara hadn’t spoken to him in two days except out of absolute necessity in front of the children. He wanted to shake her, yell at her, _you said you wouldn’t make me choose_ , but he knew what she would say. And she was right. He had chosen anyway.

Nevertheless as Alex and Lizzie sat in the kitchen eating their breakfast, Barbara found it in herself to give him a kiss on the cheek on his way out the door. He promised her that this would all end today, and silently wondered what would happen if it didn’t. Not that he had any doubts, but mistakes happen. Equipment malfunctions, henchmen get overpowered. There are some things no amount of preparation could possibly account for, he only hoped fate was on his side.

At 9:00 AM on the dot his henchmen funneled into the building. Dominik thought he ought to address them, give them some sort of motivational speech since today was so significant, but he couldn’t think of anything to say. He didn’t even know where to start. Everything sounded too much like he was trying to convince himself.

They ran a few more tests on the death ray, and the moment it was declared 100% functional, Dominik gave the order to send out the countdown timer. Which, of course, was counting down to nothing in particular. Depending on how close Agent Bradley Ellington wanted to cut it, it could even be viewed as a countdown timer to his own demise. But its only intended purpose was to alert the VDA that he was Up To Something, in hopes they would send an agent to investigate.

And he knew they would; every agency loves the thrill of a nondescript countdown timer. The way a parent threatens a child with a baseless count from three, no one wants to find out what happens when they get to zero.

When Ellington finally arrived, he snuck in through a conveniently unlocked side door and crept down a hallway to the main atrium of the lair. The look on his face was priceless when he realized that everyone was watching him, waiting. His hand reflexively went for his gun but before he could reach it, two henchmen wrestled his arms behind his back.

“Bring him here,” Dominik commanded. The sight of Ellington sparked something in him, and suddenly he didn’t feel like he had to reach so deep to enjoy what was happening here. Bradley Ellington was going to die today, all Dominik had to do was push the button.

The henchmen dragged Ellington down to where Dominik stood in the center of the room. The agent was dressed in a tuxedo, impeccably tailored to his exact measurements.  At least he would die beautiful.

“What is this, Doctor?” Ellington said, still fighting to free himself.

“I’m so glad you accepted my invitation, agent. I don’t know what I would have done if you’d stood me up.” Dominik smirked. He may as well relish the repartee before it was gone forever.

Ellington glared back at him, silent for once in his damned life, but the realization of what he’d walked into was beginning to set in.

“Why _did_ you come?” Dominik continued, pacing before him with his hands behind his back. “Here to put a stop to my latest destruction?”

Still, the agent would not respond. Not verbally, anyway. His eyes were fixed on Dominik, wary. Fine, Dominik was happy to carry the conversation by himself.

“Would you like to see, at last, the results of my little science project?” He gestured up at the death ray hanging from the ceiling. Of course, there was no way he could have missed it. It glowed an angry red, even though it wasn’t charged up. It was the centerpiece of the room, and Dominik felt a small amount of pride at the whole aesthetic of it. Really, Ellington should be honored that this would be his end. Thousands of people die every day by far less interesting means, and this one was constructed special, just for him.

“What are you going to use it against?” Ellington finally asked through gritted teeth. “What was the countdown for?”

Dominik tsked, stopping to stand directly in front of him. “Oh, Agent Ellington,” he sighed, laughing. “How uncharacteristically modest of you.” He let his expression darken. “Who else would it be for?”

It was too good, although Dominik suspected he had to have known from the moment he walked in that something wasn’t right. A couple henchmen wheeled out a gurney and at the sight of it, Ellington struggled even harder to break free. Yes, now he was _really_ getting it.

“Wire in the jacket, sir,” a henchman said, pulling Ellington’s coat off and passing it to another for disposal. It took four men to secure him to the gurney, but even if Ellington were able to break their grip, there was no way he would be able to escape the lair. There was only one of him, and this building was full of people who wanted to keep him exactly where he was.

At last, this was it. Dominik could hardly believe it, but the moment had finally arrived. Everything was in its place. Bradley Ellington was going to be wiped off the face of this planet for good. Dominik turned his back to the agent to adjust some of the death ray’s settings; the sound of it warming up sent shivers down his spine. He hoped Ellington felt the same way.

Then he turned back around to allow himself one last good, hard look at the agent. He felt like he should say something to him, some parting words before he turned him to dust, but his mind was racing and nothing he could think of stuck long enough for him to say out loud.

Ellington gawked back up at him, the look on his face one of panic and disbelief, realizing for sure now that this was the end. But he didn’t speak, he didn’t beg for his life, he didn’t curse Dominik’s existence. It was pathetic, and it needed to end. Now.

Dominik yanked the remote away from a scientist, pulling his arm back to push the button as deliberately as possible. But his heart was in his throat. He froze, just for a second.

It was only one second, it couldn’t have been longer, but it was one second too long.

_BUUUUUZZZZZZZ_

The machinery powered down and henchmen began filing out of the lair.

Of all the well-intentioned idiocy he’d ever been a part of, setting that timer had to have been the worst of it. He stifled his frustration with a sigh. Barbara was going to kill him.

\-----

Dominik considered not going home. He could stay at the lair and kill Ellington on his own. But no, he told himself, maybe it was better this way. Maybe the suspense would drive Ellington out of his mind just as much as Dominik had been losing his.

Still, he wasn’t looking forward to being confronted by his wife. When he finally resigned himself to walking through the door, he happily greeted his children but his face fell when he saw her. And that was all it took. Any hope in her eyes blew out like a dead candle, and he knew he’d lost her.

It was fair, he decided, and he much preferred the silence she forced upon him to arguing with her. They both knew there wasn’t much to argue about. Besides, he could barely take his mind off of what he’d left at the lair long enough to hold a conversation anyway.

And he tried to wait until the next day to go back, he really did. He got in bed, picked up a book and tried to relax. He told himself that Ellington wasn’t going anywhere, it was too late to save his marriage, he didn’t want to call anyone in after hours. But his mind kept coming back to Ellington, strapped to that table, unwillingly awaiting his death.

He decided if he didn’t get this over with _now_ , he was probably going to explode. So the second Barbara was soundly asleep, he bolted out of bed and back to the lair.

When he arrived, the building was dark. The men he’d called in hadn’t arrived yet. It was just him and Bradley Ellington.

It shouldn’t have been a relief, but it was.

Dominik flipped the lights on, silently taking a seat on the steps near where Ellington lay on the gurney.

“Doctor,” Ellington said, voice hoarse. He’d either been asleep or done nothing but yell the whole time he’d been alone.

Dominik didn’t respond.

“Why don’t you just kill me and get it over with?” the agent said, realizing that even still, nothing was happening. “You’ve obviously decided this is what you want, why don’t you just _do it_?”

“Don’t pretend to know what I want,” Dominik hissed. “You have no idea what I want.”

“So tell me,” Ellington said.

Dominik snorted. _That_ was a hilarious question. If he’d been asked the same thing a few months ago he might have actually known the answer. The truth was that he had no idea anymore. He wanted Ellington to die, yes, but once he had...what then? Anticipating the agent’s uninvited appearances had been an interesting challenge, but at what point had Dominik’s plans started revolving around them rather than proceeding in spite of them?

He dragged a hand across his face, unable to contain the frustration. “Why couldn’t you just stay away?”

“It’s my job,” Ellington said, nearly laughing. “Shall I return to the VDA and tell them you politely requested to be left alone?”

Dominik was not amused. “You’re going to die soon, agent. Maybe you should think a little harder about what you say.”

“If I’m going to die anyway, what does it matter?”

“Enough!” Dominik yelled, standing and walking over to the control console for the death ray. His men were due to arrive any minute, and then this would finally be over.

“Wait,” Ellington said, giving up his glib tone. “Wait. I’m sorry. Just tell me what you want, we can figure this out.”

Dominik took in a sharp breath. There was that question again, and the answer was just as absent as it was a few seconds ago.

“Why did you save me?” he asked before he even realized he was speaking. _That_ was what had been keeping him up at night. That was the question that needed answering before Bradley Ellington was no more.

“What?” Ellington’s voice caught in his throat and the word came out half-whispered.

Dominik turned around, walking over to look down on him. “Why did you save me?” he repeated with more conviction this time.

Ellington stared at something away from Dominik, brows knitted.

“That night at the radio tower, you could have just...let me fall,” Dominik animated the simplicity of it, making a fist and releasing it again the way he told himself he would have, were the roles reversed. “Why didn’t you?”

It seemed that now he was getting the silent treatment from Ellington as well as his wife. How like an agent of the VDA to clam up during an interrogation. It was lucky there weren’t any cyanide pills in reach or Dominik was sure he’d be carting a dead body out of here before he ever got to use his death ray.

But he’d had enough of silence, he’d had enough of all of this. “Answer the question, agent!” he slammed a palm on the metal gurney, startling Ellington. “Why didn’t you just let me die?! What does the VDA want me alive for? What--”

“It wasn’t the VDA,” Ellington interjected.

“...What?” Dominik frowned.

“It wasn’t the VDA,” he said again. “I...I don’t know why I saved you.”

Dominik let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding, and was about to speak again when Ellington continued.

“That’s not true,” he sighed. “I saved you because I wanted to. I saved you because I don’t...I don’t want you dead. You’re the only thing worthwhile about my job anymore and I didn’t want to give that up.”

...That was not the answer Dominik was expecting. And he wasn’t entirely sure how to respond.

“It’s selfish, I know,” Ellington said, nervously trying to fill the silence. “I should be trying to stop you. God, I don’t know what the hell’s wrong with me. I don’t know what I thought would happen.” He seemed to be talking more to himself at this point, but then he looked back at Dominik. “You killed all those people.”

 _And I would do it again_ , Dominik wanted to say, but he felt paralyzed. He looked back at Ellington cautiously, waiting for whatever happened next.

“Do you feel _anything_?” he asked. “Do you care about anyone? Other than yourself, I mean.” His tone was acidic, and Dominik wasn’t sure why he felt compelled to engage with him at all. Maybe it was because he was going to be dead soon anyway, none of this mattered.

“You don’t know anything about me,” he said, trying to sound angry.

“So _tell me something_ ,” Ellington said. “Anything. Who are you when you’re not playing this stupid game?”

“This is all I am!” Dominik shouted, spreading his arms out wide. “There isn’t anything else!”

“I don’t believe you!” Ellington shouted right back.

Dominik fell silent again. He wasn’t sure what Ellington was playing at here, but he was not about to fall into this trap. Whatever it was.

“I’ve seen you,” Ellington continued, softening his voice. “I’ve seen you with your men, I’ve seen how you care about them. I’ve seen the lengths you go to, to keep them happy. Doesn’t really seem evil to me.”

“Maybe you just don’t understand evil the way you thought you did,” Dominik said, his tone dangerously quiet.

“I saw you that night,” Ellington ignored him. “At the radio tower, after I saved you.” He paused, like he wasn’t sure what to say next.

Dominik wished he wouldn’t say anything next. He wished he’d just shut up.

“I know you felt something.”

Goddamnit.

Dominik studied Ellington’s face intently for some sign of disingenuity, but as long as he stared him down, the agent maintained unfaltering eye contact. If he was lying, Dominik decided, then so be it. Within the hour he was going to be nothing but ash, may as well let this play out.

“And if I did, then what? What difference does it make?”

“I don’t know,” Ellington said, still refusing to looking away. “But can’t we find out?”

All of the time Dominik had spent ignoring the very idea of asking himself those sorts of questions, all of the thoughts he’d quarantined off in his brain, all of it went straight down the drain at Ellington’s words. If he’d felt lost over these past few weeks, that was nothing compared to the complete mental upheaval he’d been thrust into now.

He opened his mouth to speak, but what could he possibly say to that? Yes? Okay? Sure, let me just call my wife and tell her...tell her what? He couldn’t even bring himself to think the words, let alone--

The doors to the lair swung open, and Dominik startled hard at the sound. Henchmen and scientists began pouring into the room, dutifully taking up their stations.

“Wait,” Ellington said, stretching a hand out towards him as far as it would go in its restraint. “Just let me go, we can talk about this. Alone.”

And suddenly it made sense.

He didn’t mean any of it. This was all just some emotional manipulation ploy to get Dominik to release him. And he’d fallen for it. He’d completely, thoroughly fallen for it. How could he not have seen that coming? Of course the VDA would teach their agents every tactic in the book to get out of a situation like this, even if it meant reaching directly into the chests of their enemies and ripping their hearts out.

He turned around, bitterness burning into his expression. “Start it up!” he shouted at whoever the hell was closest to the console. A scientist cautiously approached him with the remote which was promptly snatched away.

The ray sparked to life, focusing on the agent as if it were drawing power straight from Dominik’s outrage. He watched Ellington struggle futilely against his shackles and reached for some thread of hatred or rage to give him the drive to push that button, but the longer he looked at Ellington, the further away any of that felt.

“Doctor!” Ellington said.

Dominik tried to visualize the process; pushing the button, watching the laser strike, watching Ellington disappear before his eyes.

“Dr. Vergoldetschnauz!” Ellington tried again.

It felt...wrong. Why? He’d planned this so ardently for so long, he’d all but destroyed his family, he’d poured countless man hours into scheming and building, and if he didn’t do this, what had all of it been for?

_Can’t we find out?_

Dominik ripped his eyes away from Ellington, turning his back to him. He wished he could just block out everything, block out his own thoughts, block out everyone watching them, block out the sound of Ellington’s voice.

“...Dominik?”

But it was no use. As hard as he tried to ignore it, there was one thought that persisted above the rest. And once he acted on it, there was no going back.

He conjured up the most sarcastic tone of voice he could muster. This might have been the worst decision he’d ever made, but if it was, he was going to go down with dignity.

“I seem... to have fallen for my nemesis,” he said, refusing to look back. “Isn’t that the best joke you’ve heard all week?”

And with that, he pushed the button to release the agent. He was letting him go. After all of it, after everything he’d put himself through, here he was, actively flushing it down the drain. There he stood, The World’s Biggest Moron, letting everything he’d worked for walk right out the door.

He couldn’t bring himself to watch it happen, only to call his men off when they made a move to stop Ellington from leaving. A million thoughts should have been streaming through his brain: that his men probably thought he was insane, that there was no saving his marriage, he was going back to an empty house tonight. But instead his mind was quiet, reverent, almost. It felt like a death. Of his career, maybe. Of any stability he’d built for himself in his life. Something -- a lot of things, actually -- had died with the push of that button. He was going to be picking up the pieces for a long, long time after this.

He waited for the door to slam shut so he could finally tell his men they were dismissed. Maybe he would tell them to stay home for a few days, he would need the time to recalculate what the hell it was he planned on doing with the rest of his--

He heard one his henchmen give a throat-clearing cough behind him. This was literally the worst possible time, and whoever it was had better have something critically important to say or they were going to be _deeply_ sorry. He turned his head to the side, wholly prepared to fire someone on the spot, but what he saw nearly made his heart stop.

“Interesting that you assume I wouldn’t reciprocate,” Ellington said.

Dominik turned around, in utter disbelief.

“What was your phrase?” he continued. “Uncharacteristically modest of you.”

Sure enough, there stood Agent Bradley Ellington, charming grin and all. Dominik couldn’t help but smile back.


End file.
